Technical Writing Study Guide 2

5 principles of technical design
balance contrast alignment grouping consistency

technical communication meanings
a process of making and sharing information & ideas in the workplace
a set of applications, the documents you write

Why is technical communication different from composition writing?
tech uses more technology and focuses more on the product. has a somewhat different focus on audience and purpose

technical communication purpose
to reinforce or change attitudes toward the subject youre writing about or to get people to take action

tech: major characteristics
address particular readers
helps solve problems
reflects organization goals
produced collaboratively
uses design to increase readability
consists of words or images

eight measures of excellence
honesty clarity accuracy comprehensiveness accessibility conciseness professional appearance correctness

similarities tech and composition
they are both rhetorical and focus on persuasion

advantages of working as a team
draws on greater knowledge base
draws on greater skill base
provides better idea of how audience will read
improves communication among employees
helps acclimate new employees

3 reasons to communicate honestly in technical communication
it is the right thing to do
if you are dishonest readers can get hurt
put yourself and organization at risk for legal charges

avoiding/ resolving conflict
conduct effective meetings
write down agreement
identify and discuss issues
negotiate a middle ground
refer to previous agreement

concept of care in ethics
means tolerance and compassionate, taking precedence over hard rules

principles of design
balance alignment proximity/grouping consistency/repetition contrast

cyberbullying and computer harassment
cyberbullying use a computer to harm/threaten others mentally financially that will damage careers or personal life

computer harassment using pc or device to harm others due to race religion gender

cyberbullying prevention
never give personal info refuse to pass message to bullies block

utility
the interests of the majority will take precedence over few

conservation ethics
sustainability to preserve natural resources

ethical dilemma
Making a decision to either do or not do the right thing which can put your reputation on the line

workplace correspondence
letter memo email
persuade someone
use appropriate formality
communicate correctly
avoid cliche
project attitude
honesty

disadv collaborations
groupthink
take longer
disjointed document
inequitable workloads
reduce motivation
interpersonal conflict

letter of response to inquiry
thank writer for inquiry
state sub and purpose
answer questions if you can
if cant explain reasons and offer to assist with other requests

rules of writing personal statment
depth rather than breadth
be yourself
provide insight to what drives you
evaluate experiences
tell reader something unique

why does tech rely on teamwork
bc no one person has all the info skills or time
create better document than would alone

steps to writing tech documents
planning
drafting
revising
editing
proofreading

design elements
paper size
typeface
color preferences
text direction

how can profile help you
Helps make strategic decisions
Helps organize your documents
Helps develop a persuasive style
Helps design the document for the place it will be used

how to build profile for reader
ask who what when where why how

guidelines for profile
people dont read for pleasure
people are raiders for info
readers are responsible for interpreting doc
only provide need to know info
concise text
effective design and graphics

primary readers
action takers HR

secondary readers
advisers department head

tertiary reader
evaluators dean and faculty

gateskeeper
supervisors

physical context
where documents will be used

economic context
may be cost or benefits associated with doc

political context
how ideas effect readers relationship with you supervisors and colleagues

ethical context
how ideas affect rights, values, and well beings

stages of teaming
forming storming norming performing